At 63, I Had Stopped Wearing Fitted Blouses Altogether. Here's What Was Underneath the Problem.
There are things a woman of 63 does not expect to be asked twice in one week at book club, and what she has on under a blouse is one of them. Two different women asked me the exact same question, four days apart. So I am going to answer it once, properly, here, and then I am done discussing my underwear in front of the Tuesday book club forever. My granddaughter already thinks I've lost my mind for writing this down.
Here's the confession. I stopped buying fitted blouses about eight years ago. Not because I stopped liking them. Because every one of them showed the whole story underneath — the seam, the wire line, the little ridge where the strap sits, the hook peeking through at the back when I reached for something on a high shelf. I got tired of catching sight of myself in a shop mirror and putting it right back on the rack.
A fitted blouse that showed everything underneath, or a loose cardigan that hid it. Those were my only two options, and I chose the cardigan for eight years.
So it was loose cardigans and printed tops, every single time, for eight years. Nobody sets out to hide in prints. It happens because the bras you're sold are all seams and wire and lace, and then the blouse has to cover for it. I don't fault a single woman doing the same. I was one, until June.
Then Diane wore a fitted blouse to book club
Diane, who sits across from me every second Tuesday, turned up in a plain fitted blouse, pale blue, and there was nothing to see. No lines, no ridge, nothing showing at the back when she leaned over to pour the coffee. I stared longer than was polite, and then I just asked her outright. She said seamless, no wire, goes on over your head, and told me the name.
It's called the Annabel, from Dorothy & June, a small boutique out of Charleston. I am not a woman who buys the first thing she's told about, so I went home and read the reviews before I did anything else. Then I saw the summer sale, and I ordered the beige that same evening, fully expecting to be disappointed.
I was not disappointed.
See The AnnabelWhat happened at the bathroom mirror
I put it on, put the pale blue blouse over the top, and went to the mirror the way I always do, out of eight years of habit, checking for what would show.
Nothing showed. I wore it to book club the following Tuesday. Diane gave me a knowing look across the coffee pot, and Marjorie, who notices everything and says nothing, said, "Well now, don't you look nice," which from Marjorie is as good as a standing ovation.
As far as I can work out, here is why. There's no seam to catch the light, no wire to leave a line, no hook to show through at the back, and no lace peeking out at the collar. It's just a soft cup and a wide soft band, and there's simply nothing left for a fitted blouse to give away.
Three things worth knowing
- Nothing shows through. No seams, no wire, no hooks, no lace. That pale blue blouse has been out of the closet three times this month and not one person has said a word, which is exactly the point.
- It goes on over your head. No fastening to fuss with behind your back, and nothing digging in by four o'clock in the afternoon.
- Eight colors, real sizing. Beige, black, brown, blue, and more, from a US 4/6 up to 14/16. I have the beige and I've already gone back for the black.
About the price
I'll be plain about this part, because the price is what made me suspicious to begin with. It's $29.99. It was $59.99.
Half price usually means I start asking what's wrong with something. I have found nothing wrong with it. It's a small boutique selling direct, with a summer sale on to move the season's stock, and that's the entire mystery. I don't trust a perfect score, so I read through the reviews first — just under 900 of them, sitting at 4.8 stars, which read like real women rather than a marketing department. One had written that she'd worn it under a linen shirt on a beach trip with no adjusting all day. That settled it for me.
If you were sat with me on the porch
If you were sat with me on the porch with a glass of sweet tea and you asked me straight, here's what I'd tell you. If you've been hiding in loose cardigans because fitted blouses show too much, the blouse was never the problem. It's what's underneath, and it costs less than a nice supper out to put right. Order the beige first. You'll be back for the black. You always are.
The sale is on now, and the popular sizes go first. Once this summer's stock is gone, it's gone until next year. Stop putting it off and go have a look.
That pale blue blouse has been out of the closet three times this month. Nobody has said a word, which is the point.
— Amy
ANNABEL | Seamless Bra
- Seamless — nothing shows through fitted tops
- No wire, no hooks, goes on over your head
- Soft cups and a wide soft band, nothing digs
- Adjustable straps
- 8 colors, sizes US 4/6–14/16
- Free USPS shipping nationwide
Shop The Annabel
Summer sale on now. Popular colors sell out first.
Amy Johnson is 63 and lives in Mount Pleasant, SC. She is not a fashion writer.
Dorothy & June — Charleston · Free US shipping · 30-day returns
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